SAFE SUDSING
This elegant condo ensuite by XTC Design, the second- place winner f or baths in the 2015 National Kitchen & Bath Association’s Pinnacle Awards, shows how a bath can accommodate changing needs as we grow older, without sacrificing comfort or style.
The old bathroom was dated and poorly laid out, with a giant raised corner tub/shower enclosure, and an uncomfortably low ceiling. Yet, as with most condo buildings, the toilet, shower and bathtub drains were set into the concrete subfloor and immovable.
The designers’ first task was to reorder the layout to capture as much extra space as could be squeezed out of the plan, including straightening a jogged partition wall next to the adjacent dressing room, and removing the dropped ceiling to add a bit of extra height — just enough to install special low- profile pot lights to brighten the space.
This f reed up enough room to install a straightsided tub and glass-enclosed shower, with a safer one-inch lip along the bottom, in line along the back wall. On the opposite side, the simple yet elegant new vanity features a mirrored cabinet, whose door glides up to open.
Warm grey walls and subtly textured taupe porcelain tiles unify and ex- pand the space visually. The matching solid- surface material of the side bench, which doubles as storage, narrows into a deck that runs behind the tub and inside the shower, where it widens again into a comfortable bench. Against this calm backdrop, the crisp white tub and its solid surface apron front, are more than just an elegant touch: t he contrast makes t he edges easy to see, an important consideration for aging eyes.
In fact, all the detail has been thought out: all the faucets and handles are designed for ease of use. This is a bath the owners can enjoy safely for years to come.
THE CONTRAST MAKES THE EDGES EASY TO SEE, AN IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION FOR AGING EYES.